The document describes the human circulatory system, including the heart and blood vessels. It discusses the structure of the heart and how blood flows through the different chambers. It also explains the differences between arteries, capillaries, and veins in terms of their location, thickness, lumen size, presence of valves, blood flow speed, and blood pressure. Finally, it provides a role play activity to demonstrate how blood circulates through the heart and picks up and releases oxygen.
9. Differences between blood vessels
characteristics artery cappilary Vein
location Located between Between arteriole Between
heart and blood and venule cappilary and
cappilary heart
Thickness of Thick wall Thin wall, only Thin wall & less
muscular wall one cell thick muscular
lumen Has small lumen Very small lumen Big lumen
valve No valve No valve Has valve
function Carries blood Carries blood Carries blood
away from the from arteries to towards the heart
heart venule
Blood flow Rapid blood flow Slow blood flow Slow blood flow
Blood pressure high low Very low
10. ROLE PLAY
How the blood circulates through the heart
1.Set up a heart using students as the walls, atriums, ventricles, and valves.
2.Students should hold hands, or touch hands- except the people representing the valves-they will
open and close as the "Blood" people pass through.
3.Select two students to be the "blood".
4.Set up a chair on each side of the "heart" to represent the lungs
5.Place a red object or paper at each lung-this represents an oxygen molecule that is picked up by
the "blood".
6.The "blood" will travel through the atriums to the ventricles
7.The atrium students gently "squeeze" the blood people through the valves- which will open and
close their outstretched arms.
8.Show oxygenation of the blood by picking up the red object at the lungs, traveling through the
heart, and picking up the blue object to show deoxygenation and use of oxygen by the body.
9.Several runs-students will want a chance to be the "blood"!
. Have fun!
11. Path of blood flow in the circulatory system
Head
and neck
Artery Hands
Pulmonary Pulmonary
Lungs vein
artery
Heart
Vena Aorta
Vein cava
Heart
Liver
Stomach and
intestine
Kidneys
Deoxygenated blood
Legs
Oxygenated blood